Amazon this summer will be removing the ability to purchase ebooks directly from certain ageing Kindle e-readers. The change is coming into effect on August 17 2022 and will impact older Kindle models such as the second generation Kindle e-reader and the fifth-gen device. For anyone that is impacted by the upcoming change, and has some burning questions Amazon has just launched a new help page on its website.
This FAQ page gives Kindle users all the information they need to prepare for the upcoming change.
Introducing the help page Amazon said: “As of August 17, 2022, you’ll no longer be able to browse for, buy, or borrow books directly from certain Kindle devices introduced 10+ years ago. You can still use these devices to read. As always, you’ll be able to browse, buy, and borrow books on other supported devices or through amazon.com/ebooks.”
If you’re not already aware, here are the Kindle models that will be impacted by this upcoming change…
Kindle (2nd Gen) International, Kindle DX International, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle (4th Gen), and Kindle (5th Gen)
While Amazon will remove the ability to purchase ebooks directly from these devices you will still be able to browse for and purchase new ebooks from the Amazon website and send it to your Kindle.
If this sounds like a bit too much extra work for you, and are wondering what your options are then you have a few choices available.
You can click here to see if your current Kindle is eligible for trade-in so you can get money off a newer model.
If you are thinking of upgrading to a new Kindle you can take advantage of an offer Amazon is running which throws in three months access to Kindle Unlimited entirely for free.
This subscription service – which usually costs £7.99 a month – gives you access to a library of over a million ebooks, so you’ll have plenty to choice for what book to get immersed in next.
You can get three months worth of access to Kindle Unlimited for free with the entry-level Kindle with a front light that’s priced from £69.99.
Just bear in mind after your free trial ends it will auto-renew.
Alternatively, you could decide to try something different and opt for an e-reader from a rival brand such as Kobo.
Kobos have a higher entry price point, with the entry level Kobo Nia priced at £89.99.
But unlike the Kindle range, you won’t find any Kobos that have ads on them. Not only that, but the Nia has a better pixels-per-inch rate than the entry-level Kindle which provides crisper resolution.
Plus, unlike the Kindle a Kobo isn’t limited to just one storefront as the Rakuten ereaders support a range of formats like the widely used epub file type.
Amazon has confirmed that it’s at long last bringing epub support to Kindle, but that is in the future and not available at the moment.